The Foret Tradition has come a long way since 1995, which was the year when the band was first started. The band first consisted of two members but has since grown into a five piece lineup. We have been a four piece band for the last 7 years until January 2006 when a fifth member was added. We started out playing local fairs, weddings, and night clubs for next to nothing but now we are playing night clubs, festivals, weddings, casinos, etc, all over Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
My name is Ryan Foret. I am the leader/manager of the group, and I handle all of the bookings. I am the lead singer of the group and I also play keyboards and bass. I have a daughter that’s 4 years old and I have been playing the keyboards since I was 11 years old.
Then there is my younger brother Brandon Foret. He is 22 years old. He started out playing drums, but now plays a variety of instruments. His main instrument is the saxophone, but you will also see him on guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums. Brandon is also a lead and background vocalist for the group. Brandon has been playing since he was 10 years old.
The third member of the band is my cousin Chris Daigle. Chris is 26 years old and is married with two children. Chris is the drummer of the band and has been with the group since July 2003. Chris has been playing the drums since he was 12 years old.
The fourth member of the group is our lead guitarist Wade Pavalini. Wade is 30 years old and has 3 children. Wade joined the band in November 2004. Wade hails from Diamondhead, Mississippi and has been playing guitar since he was a teenager.
The newest member of the group is our trumpet/keyboard player Cory Distefano. Cory is 26 years old and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Performance from the University of New Orleans. Cory joined the band in January 2006 and has been playing the trumpet since he was 13 and keyboards since he was 19.
Together we make up the Foret Tradition. The band has released three cd’s in the past 7 years and is currently working to finalize production on the fourth one. We all enjoy playing music and are currently making a living doing so. We will be performing at a wide variety of venues and events in this next coming year so visit our website band calendar often and come out and have a great time with us. Thank you for your time.